https://leader.pubs.asha.org/article.aspx?articleid=2624736Congress Overturns ESSA RegulationsThe U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have overturned the Obama administration’s regulations for student accountability and teacher preparation under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the federal public education law enacted last year to replace No Child Left Behind. The regulations were overturned under provisions of the Congressional Review ...2017-05-01T00:00:00News in Brief

The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have overturned the Obama administration’s regulations for student accountability and teacher preparation under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the federal public education law enacted last year to replace No Child Left Behind.

The regulations were overturned under provisions of the Congressional Review Act, which allows the Senate and House to introduce and vote on resolutions of disapproval that cover regulations established by the executive branch. However, the new administration cannot issue new regulations until there’s new authorizing legislation, leaving states and local jurisdictions to independently interpret and implement the law.

In a February letter, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos advised states’ chief school officers to follow the ESSA timeline and continue finalizing their ESSA plans for review and approval. The Department of Education issued a revised template for completing ESSA implementation plans in mid-March.

“States will no longer be told exactly how to evaluate schools or how to hold failing students accountable.”

States will have “much greater flexibility to use funds to help local schools improve without having to get permission from Washington.”

“The federal government will have far less to say about how states report … on educator equity,” a term that refers to equitable access for all students to excellent educators.

“Civil rights protections, including those within the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), ESSA, and other relevant federal and state laws, remain in place, even if they are not specifically named in the template.”